Genetically Engineered Crops with Enhanced Micronutrient Levels: Present Status and Market Potential

Genetically engineered (GE) or transgenic biofortified crops with an increased vitamin and/ or mineral content have large potential to improve public health, but their availability for consumers is still hampered. Over the last years, various GM crops with health benefits have been developed in which genes, mostly originating from other organisms, have been added. Notable examples include rice enriched with pro-vitamin A (also known as ‘Golden Rice’) and folate-enriched rice, developed at Ghent University. Nevertheless, fifteen years after the development of ‘Golden Rice’, i.e., the first GMO with health benefits, the developers of such GE biofortified crops have little reason to celebrate. To date, none of these GMOs are approved for cultivation, unlike GMOs with agronomic traits or conventionally bred biofortified crops. A multidisciplinary team from Ghent University has summarized the current state of research in the field of GE biofortification by focusing on biotechnology research as well as socio-economic research at micro (acceptance, willingness-to-pay) and macro level (health impacts, cost-effectiveness). Their findings, a compilation of three review studies (35 R&D studies; 25 market studies), have been recently published in Nature Biotechnology1. This novel study aims to inform various stakeholders among which are biotech developers and agricultural economists, policy makers, regulators, and health planners in the field of micronutrient malnutrition prevention.